Something fell from the building.
When brick, terra cotta, or metal has come down: what failed and what else is at risk.
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What should you do when masonry falls from a building?
Keep people out from under it, leave what fell where it is if you safely can, and call. A piece on the ground means something above has let go, and an engineer needs to find out whether more is about to follow.
When you need it
- Brick, stone, terra cotta, or metal is on the sidewalk or roof
- A city inspector or a neighbour has reported it
- An insurer needs to know what happened
- A storm or a hard freeze has just passed
What the engineer looks at
- Where the piece came from and what was holding it
- What else nearby is loose, cracked, or out of line
- Whether the area below needs to stay closed off
- What the fallen piece itself shows about the cause
What you get
- A plain statement on site of what is at risk
- A written report on what failed and why
- What has to be made safe now, and what can wait
- A repair scope for the permanent fix
Common questions
Is it an emergency?
Treat it as one until someone has looked. Keep the area below clear and say when you call that something has fallen.
Should I pick up the pieces?
Not if you can leave them safely. Where they landed and how they broke helps show what failed. Photograph them first if they must be moved.
Do you put up barricades or netting?
No. The engineer says what needs protecting and how; a contractor installs it.
Read first
Something fell from my building: what to do nowKeep people away, leave what fell where it is, photograph from a distance, then call.
Signs a cornice or parapet may be unsafeWhat to look for from the ground, and what to do if something looks loose over a sidewalk.
Cornice repair: who to call firstWhat an engineer, mason, roofer and sheet-metal shop each do, and why diagnosis comes first.
Related services
Cornice condition assessmentAn engineer's inspection of the cornice and the wall behind it, with a written report.
Parapet and chimney evaluationThe walls and chimneys above the roof line, which weather fastest and lean first.
Repair scope for bidsA written scope so every mason and sheet-metal shop bids the same repair.